Blog Feed

DigitalOcean

Katy Pearce — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:48:56 -0800

DigitalOcean, a virtual commons being developed by UCSB's Environmental Media Initiative, is working to create global communities using new media to advance ocean sustainability and protect ocean ecosystems.

UCTV recently featured DigitalOcean. Click here to watch the video and learn more.

Beware of results

Katy Pearce — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 10:21:50 -0800

After researchers at the University of Washington concluded that young children who watch television are at greater risk for attention problems and language delays, the creators of the popular infant and toddler video series "Baby Einstein" asked a judge to order the university to release the data used in the studies.

Google Powermeter

Katy Pearce — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:19:03 -0800

Google recently launched "PowerMeter," a free software utility that monitors home electricity usage. PowerMeter works with the TED 5000 smart meter to transmit real time utility usage data, which can then be displayed on your Smartphone. This was paid for in part with governmental stimulus funds.

Augmented reality

Katy Pearce — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:43:25 -0800

Mobile devices and innovative ways to use them are become more ubiquitous but a new trend could change the way users integrate information into their lives even more.

The latest mobile trend is augmented reality, virtual computer-generated imagery layered or superimposed on top of the real world, creating a mixed reality. One example of augmented reality that many people are familar with is sports score graphic displays during a game.

Netflix Prize: Crowdsourcing for cash

Katy Pearce — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:57:23 -0700

In 2006 online movie rental company Netflix announced a contest called The Netflix Prize. The company's challenge? Beat its in-house movie recommendation system by 10%. Prize? $1 million.

More than 50,000 teams participated, but recently one team (a combination of four of the front running teams) announced that it reached 10.05% improvement.

Fish in the fMRI?

Katy Pearce — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:34:57 -0700

Functional MRI (fMRI) is a technique of brain imaging that allows researchers to see what parts of the brain respond to stimuli, resulting in interesting images of real

Mobile phones around the world

Katy Pearce — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:46:02 -0700

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) compared annual mobile phone costs, and the U.S. is in the top three for most expensive. American especially is expensive compared to Europe as the average American pays $635.85 annually, compared to $131.44 in the Netherlands and $137.94 in Sweden.

Woman fired for using ALL CAPS in email

Katy Pearce — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:46:02 -0700

ALL CAPS CAN GET YOU FIRED.

Vicki Walker of Auckland, NZ sued her former employer after being fired for creating "disharmony in the workplace by using block capitals, bold typeface and red text in her emails."

What's next? Use of Comic Sans and clip-art as a fireable offense?

Video Games and Music

Katy Pearce — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:57:06 -0700

Ethnography of Rock Band Bar Night. The Rock Band video game (and the similar Guitar Hero) are more than video games where players try to earn points and some are exploring the deeper meaning of such games.

Social Media and Political Engagement

Katy Pearce — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:07:42 -0700

According to a report (PDF), those who participate in political activities online are from higher socioeconomic status. This is also the case with political participation generally. The Pew study suggests that new forms of civic engagement through social media services may change this.